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Little Kereese Khan got the notion of becoming a lawyer one day while attending St Francis R.C. Primary School. Her big influencer was her dad, the late Junior Khan (Wan You). When her father was murdered on October 26th, 2013, he was a retired policeman and had his own construction firm. For Kereese, her world was collapsing but it also ignited a spark to become a lawyer. This motivated her not only to pass her exams but to accomplish all her life goals. She completed her O’ Levels at Bishop Anstey High School, Port of Spain and A’ Levels at North Eastern College. She then studied at Institute of Law and Academic Studies (ILAS) in Chaguanas, where tuition was provided for the University of London Law programmes (LLB).

Ms. Khan attained a Certificate of Achievement for the Year 1 Subject Elements of Contract Law and in 2017 she was informed that she was the International Module Topper for Civil and Criminal Procedures.

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Mr Reagan H. Rowans, Vice Principal and Senior Lecturer at ILAS shared that “Kereese’s sterling achievement is testament to her humility as a student and commitment to learning and trying and striving for improvement. ILAS is extremely proud of our daughter. She is certainly an inspiration to all ILASians. ILAS is the Number 1 institution for the UoL law programme. Excellence is commonplace and Trinbago students perform in a superior manner. We cop most of the Awards and we have secured the most number (17) of First Class passes in 2017 alone!”

Ms. Khan attributes her success to many individuals. She thanks the Lord for guiding her through life’s challenges. Her mother, Sophia, naturally rose to the challenge and juggled finances to fund Kereese and her sister Kasmira through their schooling. Kasmira recently completed her medical degree. Special thanks also go out to her sister Camille Lezama. In dealing with the financial challenges, she wanted to thank Mrs. Kavita Jagdeo who arranged for her to get notes and guided her on the path to meet deadlines and registration. Kereese also worked at Jaynazco Hardware in Mathura to assist with the mounting expenses. Her aunts Nazarina Belfour and Josephine Wharton-Superville also assisted in contributing to exam fees in times of need.

Kereese attributes her success to the dedication of her lecturers, namely Mr Reagan H. Rowans (Final Year Lecturer for all 4 Modules), Ms Kurcelia Moore, and Ms Shilpa Patel. She prepared for her classes, participated and absorbed it all. She wrote countless essays, examined all the past papers and paid attention to the corrections and comments made. She was committed to listening to VLE Lectures from UoL, attending  sessions with UK guest  lecturers, visits to Courts and Parliament, completing recommended reading, study packs and doing all she could muster.

Her mother would often wake her to study and her sister would study alongside as well. She remained focused and her accomplishments are far more than what she ever envisaged. Her advice is to “never give up on your dreams and never let the challenges of life stop you from fulfilling your purpose and goals.”

She firmly believes in equality and fairness for all. She applied for Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) but did not gain entry or secure a place. She also supports ACSEAL as a body trying to make changes in the acceptance of Law students to HWLS School. Her future may include the pursuit of the Legal Practice Course in England. She is currently employed in the On the Job Training (OJT) Programme at Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA)’s Legal Department.

Ms Khan was recently recognized and received numerous awards from ILAS at the graduation ceremony held on 29/01/18.

Her motto in life is “the greater the struggle the more glorious the triumph.”